News

Kawakami: Golden State Warriors want Dwight Howard

By Tim Kawakami Mercury News Columnist

Posted:
07/02/2013 03:08:35 PM PDT

Updated:
07/02/2013 09:59:02 PM PDT

The Warriors don't want to be talking openly right now about things that might not happen and opining about trading players they might not actually really want to move, so until the brain trust emerges, let's zero in on one specific question: Why?

Why are Joe Lacob, Bob Myers and Mark Jackson (and Jerry West and Peter Guber and everybody else) so gung-ho about going after Dwight Howard when A) it seems quite unlikely that they'll actually get him; and B) Dwight has a bit of an unstable reputation?

What I've been told: The Warriors believe Howard, unique among all other NBA players not named LeBron or Durant, is someone who can be expected to retain superstar value at least through the life of a new four-year contract.

For the Warriors, that's why it's worth taking a shot at convincing Howard that this is the right spot for him to win NBA titles ... and for the GSW brass to look a little coldhearted with the rest of their "great locker room" that is now suddenly up for grabs, metaphorically ...

It's why it's worth it to the Warriors to go ahead and allow the names of Andrew Bogut (for sure) and Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson (if that's what it would take for the Los Angeles Lakers to do a sign-and-trade) to float out there as movable pieces in the quest for Dwight.

Advertisement

By the way, I'll repeat that I'm not a Dwight guy, and I think it's a large error to pin a franchise's fate to unpredictable personalities and proven complainers.

I personally wouldn't offer Barnes or Thompson in any sign-and-trade package that also includes Bogut (who would have to be in the deal), because I think the Warriors can build with those young wing players and already have Bogut and Stephen Curry in place.

But there's a reason that Dwight has been allowed to undermine several coaches and still retain this kind of value:

He's pretty much worth it and will be for at least four more years. Just ask the Lakers, who haven't gotten much good from Howard but are still using every avenue to try to persuade him to stay.

So, yes, I understand the raw value determination here.

Dwight is more valuable than a great small guard like Chris Paul, even if Paul is a ferocious leader, because big men who guard the rim always last longer than little point guards.

Dwight is more valuable than Carmelo Anthony, because he can have a vastly positive effect on multiple facets of the game, and Carmelo does not.

Premier big men can stay at or near prime level into their mid-30s if they don't suffer catastrophic injuries along the way -- Tim Duncan is doing it now in his late 30s, Shaquille O'Neal and Patrick Ewing did it until they were 33 or 34, and Robert Parish until his late 30s.

Dwight is much more valuable than Bogut because he has two healthy ankles, because he'd theoretically fit beautifully in an inside-outside offense with Curry (who seems to agree), and because the Warriors would have Howard under contract for four stabilizing seasons.

Beyond that, when you're filling out a roster, you'd figure a lot of free agents would like the idea of playing with Howard and Curry.

It's not a lock that Howard will be as valuable in 2017 as he is now, but given his size and skill set, it's not a terrible bet.

The point is, Howard is still only 27 -- he won't turn 28 until December -- is a career 57.7 percent shooter, and it's not like he had a major dip last season.

Despite lingering injuries (which obviously are a concern if they're still lingering), Howard averaged 17.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 76 games last season. He also shot 57.8 percent while playing 35.8 minutes per game.

Even with Limited Dwight, the Lakers were a far better team with him on the floor than when he was off -- it's not even close.

Howard is, was, and for the foreseeable future will be one of the three or four most intimidating (and effective) defensive players in the game, and one of the four or five best overall.